Wood heel concaving machine



' April 1936- w. w. BRADBURY 2,038,636

WOOD HEEL CONCAVING MACHINE Filed March 27, 1954 6 Sheets-Sheet l Am w. w. BRADBURY WOOD HEEL CONCAVING MACHINE Filed March 27, 1934 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aprifl 3936 w. w. BRADBURY 2,038,635

WOOD HEEL CONCAVING MACHINE Filec'lv March 27, 1934 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 AprilZS, 1936.

w. w. BRADBURY fi WOOD HEEL CONCAVING MACHINE Filed March 27, 1934 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 April 28, mm.

W. w. BRADBURY 239389635 WOOD HEEL CONCAVING.MACHINE Filed March 27, 1934 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 April 28, 1936. w w BRADBURY I 2,938,636

woon HEEL GONCAVING MACHINE Filed March 27, 1934 l 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 M Kw Patented Apr. 28, 1936 UNlTE STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,038,636 WOOD HEEL CONCAVING MACHINE Walter W. Bradbury, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N. .l., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 27, 1934, Serial No. 717,631 12 Claims. (Cl. 12-46) This invention relates to machines for concavof by providing a resilient clamping finger, in ing wood heel blanks and is illustrated as emcombination with rigid clamping fingers, which bodied in that type of machine wherein a heel also acts to take up or compensate for any looseblank is held in a jack with its attaching face ness or any dislocation of the heel blank between down on smooth table and is then automatically the clamping levers due to initial jar against the slid and turned over a cutter projecting through gage and cutter, and thus avoids the throwing of a slot in the table, with it periphery in contact the blank out of the machine and possible harm with a gage to form the concaved attaching face to the operator. of the heel blank. The illustrated machine gen- As already stated, the prior machine under diserally resembles a machine of this type shown in cussion was also provided with an automatic loacl- United States Letters Patent No. 1,902,855, ing mechanism, wherein an arm in which the granted March 28, 1933, on an application of M. operator had placed a heel blank was swung to- W. Howard. ward the jack to locate the blank between the These machines fed the heel blank mechaniholding instrumentalities of the jack just before cally to the jack by means of a swinging feeder the jack closed. This arm then had to be quickly 5 arm in which the heel was placed by the operaremoved from the path of the moving jack to tor. This arm swung the heel blank into the jack avoid damage from the moving jack. It was so at a substantial velocity. The jack comprised removed by a coil spring which was distorted two levers each having two rigid but adjustable more and more by the loading movement of the gripping fingers on one end and a cam roller at arm. Difficulty was experienced with this device the other end. As the heel moved between the in that if the spring were made amply strong to pairs of gripping fingers it struck one end of a insure quick enough removal of the loading arm sliding bar having a wedge-shaped cam surface from harms way, it was liable to come to rest at its other end, located between the cam rollers. with two much of a shock, and secondly, the

The sliding bar was controlled by a pair of togspring sometimes broke leaving the loading arm gle springs which normally held it in the jackuncontrolled in the path of the moving jack, with open position. The blow delivered by the heel consequent breakage. blank forced the bar backward, past the dead cen- The present invention remedies this difiiculty ter of the toggle springs, which then forced it by providing an additional resilient member actstill farther back between the cam rollers, thus ing only while the loading arm is in the neighborforcing the four fingers toward the heel blank. hood where it can interfere with the jack. This Difficulty has been experienced with machines member is adequate to move the arm out of of this type in that a succession of commercially harms way unassisted by the first spring disidentical heel blanks were not properly held cussed, which therefore need not be as strong as it tightly in the jack. There are slight variations would have to be in the absence of the resilient in such blanks as they come to the machine, and member characteristic of the present invention, in many cases the blow of the heel blank and the and in case this spring breaks no other harm is toggle springs were unable to throw the slide bar done. back far enough to cam the rollers sufiiciently to These and other features of the invention comgrasp a slightly oversize heel blank effectively, prising certain combinations and arrangements and then the jar which occurred as the heel blank of parts will be apparent from the following decontacted with the gage was liable to dislocate scription of a preferred embodiment of the inventhe heel blank a little in the gripping fingers. tion shown in the drawings, in which Such a heel blank was liable to be torn out of the Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, on machine and spoiled, and, if dislocated a little, to the line I-I of Fig. 2; be improperly cut because of its erroneous posi- Fig. 2 is a front elevation; tion in the jack. Fig. 3 is a perspective view;

The present invention remedies this difficulty Fig. 4 is a plan view of the jack and loading by providing an automatic means for throwing mechanism;

the sliding bar to its effective position, so that its Fig. 5 is an underneath perspective view of the range of movement is unaffected by the pressure jack;

of the heel blank against the gripping fingers as Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the jack from they begin to take hold. In accordance with anabove;

other feature of the invention, also, any varia- Figs. '7 and 8 are plan views of the open and tions in dimensions of the blanks are taken care closed jack, respectively;

Fig. 9 is a detail of the control gear;

Fig. 10 is a detail of a clamping finger;

Fig. 11 is a diagram;

Figs. 12 and 13 illustrate partly finished and finished cuts on the heel blank, respectively.

The main frame I 8 is provided at one end with an upright pivotal axis I2 on which is suspended a generally horizontal arm I4 which carries the heel blank holding and feeding apparatus and swings the heel blank above a fiat table I5. This arm is always urged to swing toward a stop screw I6, mounted on the frame I0, by a strong spring I8 having one end fastened to the frame I0 and the other fastened to the arm I4. The arm will not contact with this stop while a heel blank is in contact with the cutter, and the stop is provided to avoid overthrow of the arm by the spring I8 before the heel blank has been brought into contact with the gage and cutter and after it has separated from them.

The arm I4 carries a horizontal gear box 20 in which is freely slidably and rotatably mounted an ovoid-shaped gear 22, the shape of which corresponds roughly to that of the attaching face of a heel. This gear has runs against two rollers 26, 28 mounted on vertical shafts 38, 32 in the gear box. One of these shafts, as 38, carries a pinion 34, coacting with the gear 22, and is driven from a pulley 36 at its upper end.

The gear 22 has an internal smooth face 38 against which presses a roll 40 mounted on the lower end of a shaft 42 which projects through an enlarged hole in the top of the gear box I4. The shaft 42 is mounted in one end of a lever 44 pivoted at 46 on the gear box cover and urged clockwise, when seen from above, by a strong spring 48 which connects its other end with a lug on the gear box. The roll 40 will thus force the flange 24 to ride on the rolls 26, 28 at all times while the pinion 34 forces the gear 22 to rotate, and the position of the gear is thus definite at all times.

The gear 22 carries the jacking mechanism. A stub 50 hangs from the bottom of the gear and has a dovetail rib 52 at its lower end, which carries a slide 54. The slide 54 has a dovetail rib 56 on its under surface, engaging a slide 58 which carries the jack. The slides 54, 58 are held in adjusted positions by screws 57, 59 respectively. These slides enable the jack to be placed in any desired position relative to the gear 22, though its adjustments are translational and not rotatory.

The slide 58 has two depending pins 60, 62 on which are pivoted at their middle portions two reversely shaped finger levers 64, 66. The lever 66 carries at one end two longitudinally adjustable fingers 68, for engaging one side of a heel blank, and the lever 64 has a similar finger 68 and also a finger I0. The three fingers 68 are all alike, being rigidly mounted in the finger levers. The finger I8, shown in detail in Fig. 10, is resilient. It comprises a threaded case 12 having Within it a plunger I4 having a collar 16 normally abutting the flanged inner end of the case I2, and pressed toward this end by a very stiff spring 18 having its other end abutting a plug in the outer end of the case. The plunger I4 yields slightly when in clamping engagement with a heel, as will be seen. The four clamping fingers 68, 10 point in downwardly converging directions, and all have little leather plugs 82, in cups on their ends. These cups are fIrusto-conical in shape, with their small ends outward. The leather plugs thus tend to wedge firmly in the a smooth flange 24 which cups. A spring 83 tends to hold the finger levers E4, 66 in open position.

The rear ends of the levers 64, 66 carry cam rolls 84, cooperating with a generally V-shaped cam 86 mounted on the rear end of a bar 88 arranged to slide horizontally in a guide 89 mounted on the lower end of the pins 60, 62. Each side of the bar has a portion 80 parallel to the length of the bar, a diverging oblique portion 82', and another portion 94 parallel to the length of the bar. When the bar 88 is in its forward position (Fig. '7) the rolls 84 rest on the narrow portion 90 of the bar and the finger levers 54, 86 are in open position: when the bar is in its rearmost position (Fig. 8) they rest on the broadest portion 84 of the bar, and the pressure they exert, due to the pressure of the heel blank on the fingers 68, 70, which are now clamping it, is resisted by the surfaces 94 which are parallel to each other and to the guide 89 and are also substantially at right angles to the pressure. Thus, there is no tendency to wedge the bar 88 forwardly out of looking position. The clamping action of the finger levers is positive and definite.

The bar 88 has shoulders 95 at its ends to contact with the guide 89 when the bar 88 is in its limiting positions, and carries at its rear end a roll 95 cooperating with a notch 98 in the end of a lever 99 pivoted at I88 on a lug forming a part of the slide 58. The lever 99 has rolls I02, I04 at its ends, the latter being near the notch 98. The lowest part of the guide 89 has two fingers I86 which serve as a breast abutment for the heel blank when in jacked position, and the bar 88 has an end when the jack opens to release the heel blank.

The jack is operated by a finger i I 0 adjustably mounted in the end of a lever H2 pivotally mounted on a bolt H4 which depends from a lug H3 on the gear case I4. A spring H6 is connected to the other end of the lever and to a lug I I8, pivotally adjustable on the bolt I I4, but normally clamped thereby in immovable relation to the lug I I3. The lever H2 has a stop surface I28 coacting with a stop surface I22 on the lug H8 to define the normal position in which the lever I I2 is held by the spring H6. An abutment I24 on the lug I I8 coacts with an adjusting screw I26 on the lug H3, to adjust the normal position of the lever H2 and finger II 0 due to changes in the adjustment of the jack by means of the slides 54, 58. The bolt I I4 is loosened to eifect such adjustment. 7

When the loading device, to be described below, throws a heel blank against the end of the bar 88, the bar slides back, camming the rolls 84 apart until the fingers 68, 18 contact with the blank, but this operation may not throw the bar 88 completely to its operative position. As soon as the jack starts to move, and before the heel blank strikes the gage I 58, to be described below, the roll I82 strikes the finger H0 and is thrown in toward the jack, forcing the bar 88 clear back to its operative clamping position and closing the fingers 68, I0 on the heel blank. When the jack has been moved, in accordance with the shape of the gear 22, something less than a whole revolution, the roll I04, which has been in outward position, strikes the finger I I8 and forces the jack open, and the member I08 ejects the heel blank.

The loading mechanism comprises a lever I30 pivoted at I32 and pressed by a spring I34 to the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The arm is operated by a finger I36 pivoted at I38 and having an arm I40 resiliently linked to the end of the lever I30 at I4I. The finger I36 is struck by the end of a finger I42 mounted on the slide 58 as the jack turns and is so timed that it gets the heel blank to the jack just before the finger levers close. The arm I33 has a freely adjustable heel blank back gage I42 and a clamping finger I44 mounted on it to hold a heel and slide it over the table I5. The arm is cushioned on its springimpelled back stroke by a dash-pot I45. The pivots I32, I38 are mounted on an adjustable slide I48. The slide I43 carries also a casing I50 in which there is a sliding rod I52 which is impelled by a coil spring I54 in the casing toward the loading arm I30. This rod is forced back against its spring by the arm I as it moves a heel toward the jack, its spring I54 being thereby compressed. The spring sufficient strength to throw the arm I33 back out of the way of the moving jack and reinforces the action of the spring I34 in the initial part of the back stroke, it being inadvisable to make the spring I34 too strong, since such construction may cause too much slamming as the arm I3II comes to rest. Also, in case the spring I34 breaks, as sometimes happens, the parts I30, I36, I46 then swinging freely, the rod I52 will swing the arm I35 out of the range of movement of the jack. The rod I52 and spring I54 do not come into action until just before the arm I36 has moved sufficiently toward the jack to be in danger of being struck by the jack during the later part of its cycle of movement.

The cutter I56 is mounted on a horizontal shaft and projects upward through a slot in the table I5. At one end of the slot is located an adjustable gage I58 against the edge of which the heel blank rests as it is being turned by the jack.

In operating the machine, the operator puts a heel blank I63 in the loading device, as shown in Fig. 3. When the jack has turned to receiving position the finger I42 strikes the finger I36 and operates the loading device to slide the heel blank I35 over the table to a position A (Fig. 11) on the table between the opened fingers 58, III, which are immediately closed on it by the engagement of the roll I52 with the finger H5. The heel blank is then moved toward the cutter and its edge comes in contact with the gage I58, the stop It then becoming inoperative, as the arm I4 is slightly forced out from it. The heel blank is then turned and slid over the cutter with its edge against the gage I58 through an angle of about 180, passing through the successive positions shown in Fig. 11, until the roll I04 strikes the finger IIEI, when the jack opens and the end I88 of the bar 85 ejects the heel blank. The loading arm swings back to the position shown in Fig. 3 as soon as the finger I38 is released, the rod I52 attending to this if the spring I34 is out of. commission.

During its transmittal over the cutter the heel blank I60 is first gripped between the three fingers $8, the resilient finger III and the fingers Hit, the resilient finger Ill being set so that it must yield slightly as the jack closes. If the heel blank should strike the gage I58 with a substantial shock, and become slightly dislocated in the fingers, the finger III follows it and it is still held tightly in the jack. It will be noted that this finger It) is on the same side of the heel blank at this time as is the gage I58. The finger I0 is also useful in taking up or compensating for variations in the contour of successive heel blanks as they come to the machine.

The positive locking of the jack by mechanical- 1y insuring the contact of the rolls 84 with the cam portions 94 of the bar 88 is of considerable importance. The locked positions of the finger levers 64, 66 are thus quite definite, and cannot be disarranged by a jar.

The nature of the cut is shown in Figs. 12 and 13. The cutter enters at X and follows the course indicated by the dotted line Fig. 12 until it reaches the point Y, when the heel blank turns about 180, and then comes out at the other side of the heel breast.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A jack having two swinging finger levers, and a sliding bar having opposed parallel cam surfaces coacting with the ends of the finger levers respectively to cause the other ends of the levers to close upon a work piece, whereby the pressure between the first-named lever ends and the sliding bar will not tend to move the sliding bar when the jack is in holding position, and automatic means for positively throwing the sliding bar to its extreme operative position.

2. A jack comprising a guide, a sliding cam bar working in the guide, a finger lever arranged to exert clamping pressure on a heel blank at one end and having its other end coacting with a cam surface on the cam bar, the pressure between the last-mentioned lever end and the cam surface being substantially normal to the guide, and means operated by the initial movement of the jack from loading position for positively throwing the sliding bar to its extreme operative position.

3. A wood heel jack having a plurality of clamping abutments arranged to contact with the lateral surface of a wood heel blank, said abutments being rigid when in clampingposition, and a resilient abutment arranged to follow the heel blank in any dislocation due to jar.

4. In a wood heel concaving machine, a table, a cutter projecting through the table, a gage adjacent to the cutter, and a jack arranged to grip a heel blank and slide it over the table past the cutter with its edge against the gage, said jack having a plurality of rigid clamping fingers contacting with a lateral surface of the blank, and a resilient finger arranged to contact similarly with a lateral surface of the blank.

5. In a wood heel concaving machine, a table, a cutter projecting through the table, a gage adjacent to the cutter, and a jack arranged to grip a heel blank and slide it over the table past the cutter with its edge against the gage, said jack having a plurality of rigid clamping fingers contacting with a lateral surface of the blank, and a resilient finger arranged to contact similarly with a surface on the blank, said resilient finger being located on that side of the blank which is initially in contact with the gage, whereby the heel blank, if jarred by its initial contact with the gage, will be followed by the resilient finger and firmly held.

6. In a wood heel concaving machine, a table having an aperture therein, a cutter projecting through the aperture, a gage adjacent to the edge of the aperture, a jack movable to slide and turn a heel blank on the table over the cutter with its attaching face on the table and the edge of its attaching face in contact with the gage, said jack having a plurality of clamping fingers directed convergently and toward the table and arranged to engage the tapering surface of the heel blank to crowd it toward the table, one of said fingers, located on that side of the heel blank that comes initially into contact with the gage, being resilient, and others of said fingers being rigid when in clamping position.

'7. In a wood heel concaving machine, a cutter, a jack arranged to hold a heel blank and to feed it past the cutter, a loading member arranged to hold a heel blank and to move it to the jack when the jack is in loading position, resilient means for opposing the loading movement of the loading member and for returning it to normal position when its heel has been delivered to the jack, and a second resilient means arranged to operate on the loading member while it is in position to be struck by movement of the jack, to insure prompt removal of the loading member from said position when it is released.

8. In a wood heel concaving machine, a cutter, a jack arranged to hold a heel blank and to feed it past the cutter, a loading member arranged to hold a heel blank and to move it to the jack when the jack is in loading position, resilient means for opposing the loading movement of the loading member and for returning it to normal position when its heel has been delivered to the jack, and a second resilient means comprising a sliding spring-impelled rod arranged to operate on the loading member while it is in position to be struck by movement of the jack, to insure prompt removal of the loading member from said position when it is released.

9. In a wood heel concaving machine, a cutter, a jack arranged to hold a heel blank and feed it past the cutter, a loading member arranged to hold a heel blank and to move it to the jack and having a delivering position and a loading position at which it is itself loaded by the operator, resilient means for holding the loading means in its loading position to permit its movement toward the jack, and a second resilient means arranged to contact with the loading member after it has left its leading position and before it has reached its delivering position, whereby the action of the first resilient means is reinforced during the time that the loading member is within the neighborhood of the jack.

10. In a wood heel concaving machine, a cutter, a jack arranged to hold a heel blank and feed it past the cutter, a loading member arranged to hold a heel blank and to move it to the jack and having a delivering position and a loading position at which it is itself loaded by the operator, resilient means for holding the loading means in its loading position to permit its movement to ward the jack, and a second resilient means comprising a spring-impelled rod located in the path of the loading member and arranged to contact with the loading member after it has left its loading position and before it has reached its delivering position, whereby the action of the first resilient means is reinforced during the time that the loading member is within the neighborhood of the jack.

11. In a wood heel concaving machine, a cutter, a jack arranged to hold a heel blank and feed it past the cutter, a loading member arranged to hold a heel blank and to move it to the jack and having a delivering position and a loading position at which it is itself loaded by the operator, resilient means for holding the loading means in loading position to permit its movement toward the jack, and a second resilient means arranged to contact with the loading member after it has left its loading position and before it has reached its delivering position, whereby the second resilient means will move the loading member from the neighborhood of the jack irrespective of the action of the first resilient means.

12. A jack comprising a guide, a sliding cam bar working in the guide, a finger lever arranged to exert clamping pressure on a heel blank at one end and having its other end coacting With a cam surface on the cam bar, the pressure between the last-mentioned lever end and the cam surface being substantially normal to the guide, and means operated by the initial movement of the jack from loading position for positively throwing the sliding bar to its extreme operative position, the finger lever having a resilient heel blank contacting abutment to compensate for minor variations in dimensions of the heel blank.

WALTER W. BRADBURY. 

